Final Hope
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: Canon/AU/X-over. After the witch, Rhyme, comes back from a trip she went on with her mom, she's left feeling out of sorts. She'd fallen in love with a boy who was being controlled, and understands that she can never be with him. But just what is that same boy doing with the Producer of Shibuya? And why is she getting the sense there's a lot of other things she's missing, too?


**Author's Note: So… this story is a weird one. I'm not gonna lie. Basically, it takes place after a short story in the book "Vacations from Hell", but still talks about events from it, and act as though it was Joshua and Rhyme in that situation. There are also canon TWEWY elements to this story, too. You'll see.**

**Basically, the story of "Vacations from Hell" (at least the one story) is that a girl, Cecily, is a witch and goes on a vacation with her mom (also a witch), to basically show off their powers, I think. IDK. It's been a while since I read the book. **

**Anyway, Cecily's rival witch is there, and seems to have the perfect boyfriend. Cecily is suspicious of this, and how doting he is to her rival, so chooses to investigate. Upon spending some time with the guy herself, Cecily really hits it off with him (as they seem to have a lot in common, like cooking), gets a crush on him yada-yada-yada, and then realizes that her rival witch put a spell on him to make him love her. **

**Cecily tries to tell her mom and others of this, but no one believes her, because the other witch is "a good girl" and Cecily is the "troublemaker" one, so Cecily learns how to take the spell off of him herself, and she does. It's at this point that Cecily realizes not only did the other witch make the boy love her, but also completely changed his personality, and he's really nothing like she thought he was. **

**This is pretty much where the story ends, with Cecily lamenting that vacation sucked as usual, but is happy that her mom and her have gotten closer because of it (obviously her mom realized that Cecily was telling the truth, and thus is proud of the person/witch she's growing into). **

**Also, for whatever reason, the men in Cecily's family aren't magical, and are kept in the dark about the two girls being witches. In this story, where Rhyme is "Cecily" (and I actually made that her middle name and "code witch name" here, because why not?), Beat and her dad don't know about any of it, either.**

**Anyway, like I said, the story picks up where Rhyme (Cecily) is going back home to Shibuya, still a little love-sick, and decides to go to WildKat where she runs into the Producer (Rhyme knows about the UG and stuff in this, because I figure a witch would be more in tune to that kind of thing), and also…**

**Final Hope**

Rhyme placed the pencil she was holding to a certain place on her forehead. If she could just focus her energy—her powers—on that one section of her brain, she was sure she'd be able to remember what her dream had once been. Since… Since _that_ had happened, the young witch had a hard time remembering whom she'd been before she'd finally reached her stride as a witch.

Of course, as happy as Rhyme was for that (and her new bond with her mother that had come with it), her skills had happened with a price. She'd lost the person she could've loved more than anyone. And worse than that… Rhyme had realized he wasn't accessible to her at all, and that she'd been a fool to think otherwise.

Joshua… He wasn't at all what Rhyme had been led to believe. Her rival witch, Ai, had put a temporary spell on him to make him her perfect man, but Joshua himself was anything but perfect. But before that hard truth had been revealed… Rhyme had met Joshua and had fallen for him hard, hadn't she? She wanted to forget about it and deny it to herself now, but…

And really, it was all a moot point, anyway. Why she was even troubling herself with the idea of it all now, Rhyme had no idea. After all, Ai had changed everything about Joshua's personality with her spell, and had taken away his self in every sense of the word. Though Rhyme was relieved to have set him free (because love that wasn't freely given wasn't love at all), it still hurt to have love and lost. As always, the young witch's summer trip had been a disappointment, and she couldn't wait to get home to Shibuya and see her brother, Beat.

And in truth, Rhyme knew she was lying to herself if she didn't believe Ai might do something to try and get back at her. If that were to happen, Rhyme was almost certain that Beat would be the target. In fact, the idea of seeing Beat again and trying to protect him was almost enough to make Raimu forget about her heartache. Almost. Even if… Even if Rhyme felt as though she'd lost out on everything in the end. Even if her dreams seemed further away now than she could ever remember them being before.

What would it be like to dream again, Rhyme wondered. Lately, whenever she tried to look for something to strive for, the young Bito sibling was met with Joshua's face in her head, and the gnawing feeling that everything in the world was for naught. She supposed she did find pride herself in her mother's newfound pride at her magic, but… was it so wrong to want to see Joshua in her mind's eye, and imagine him being the person she'd fallen in love with? Good god, she was just as bad as Ai, wasn't she? Shaking her head at the thought of it all, Rhyme tried very hard not to think.

"Rhyme, dear? What are you still doing on the plane?" As it happened, Rhyme didn't really have an answer for that. Instead, she doodled a broken heart on the airplane's fogged up window, and opted to go back to being the girl she'd been before vacation: the lonely girl who'd never even realized how lonely she was, and that someone else could feel that same way.

Walking down the aisle, Raimu finally caught up to her mother, and bowed embarrassedly at taking so long. Thankfully, her mom didn't even seem to care, as she knew well how artistic Rhyme was (especially in the culinary arts), and didn't notice at all that her daughter was feeling anything but inspiration at the moment. Ai… why had she had to do that spell and turn Rhyme's life upside down? Why?

And… Rhyme really didn't want to think these thoughts anymore, did he? So, without further ado, Rhyme let an elderly man pass her by first, and then said hello to the outside that awaited her.

Of course, the moment Rhyme did leave the unnecessary plane (because really, if things weren't so complicated, she and her mom could have just teleported back home) a frown was quick to grace her features. They weren't in Shibuya yet, it seemed. Rather, they were actually in Tokyo. Sure Shibuya was just a shopping district in Tokyo (and Rhyme would surely be home very, very soon), but the-beanie-wearing-girl found herself disappointed all the same, as the cold, winter air whipped at her face, and her breath danced before her lips. Rhyme missed the sites of Shibuya! She missed Hachiko, she missed her friends, and she missed Shiki and Eri telling her that no guy was worth her current mood, she-.

Huh. Well that was odd, wasn't it? When Rhyme thought of what her two girl friends would inevitably tell her, she could almost believe she truly was over Joshua. Finally finding some light in the situation, and a bit of her old self, Rhyme reminded herself that it was always darkest before the dawn, and she took a step forward.

…

"Mom? Can you say 'hi' to Beat and Dad for me? I'll be sure to later, but right now I want to go to the Hachiko's Wish."

"What? Rhyme Celicy Bito, where are yo-"

And before Rhyme's mom could even have a chance of stopping her, the young blond was already running out into the biting, windy air that was Shibuya. Though the weather was… a bit different for Shibuya's usual mild tendencies, there was no denying the busy sounds and smells—and over all feeling she got just from being where she was—was Shibuya incarnate.

Slamming the sliding door behind her louder than she'd intended, Rhyme found that contrary to her earlier behavior, she was now spinning around and around in her glee, as she laughed to herself at the silliness that was life.

Pushing her beanie tighter to her head, after deciding she probably shouldn't make herself sick to her stomach by her motions, Rhyme began walking in the general direction of WildKat. Though she supposed she probably should have been heading in the exact opposite direction, if she meant to see any of Shibuya's attractions before they closed, the truth was… on her vacation, Rhyme had craved nothing more than one of Mr. H's teas.

And the moment she did enter her favorite adult's establishment (after a quiet walk where she did nothing but listen to the music on her MP3), Rhyme suspected that Sanae Hanakoma must have also missed her accordingly, if the way he was smiling at her now was any indication. "Hello," Mr. Hanekoma chimed the moment Rhyme walked into the coffee shop with the ringing bell in tow. "Welcome to WildKat again, Skulls Jr. I assume you want the usua-"

As he paused in drying the mug he had in his hand, Rhyme almost missed entirely when Mr. H hissed under his breath, and his eyes widened behind the mug he was holding. Just what was he- "Rhyme, you seem off… Your powers don't seem to be jelling in the slightest. Don't tell me your Soul's a wreck agai-"

"Hehehe. Sanae, dear. You're talking about powers and Souls with one who's not dead? My, my, my. I never would have guessed that Raimu here was a witch. Thanks a ton for that nice bit of information, Mr. H."

Even without turning towards the door, where the bell was once again tolling, Rhyme knew she would have come face-to-face with the evilest of smirks, and pure arrogance shining in a boy's eyes. She looked anyway. She was powerless to do anything but, really, and….

"You!" Rhyme quickly exclaimed in shock, as she slid off the barstool she'd just sat on, and fell on her hands and knees to the floor.

Laying her face against the black linoleum that was the ground, Rhyme closed her eyes and quickly opened them again just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't. Yep, there was no doubt her personal heartache had followed her all the way to Shibuya somehow and someway (and it was the asshole version of him, to boot). But why? It couldn't have been a coincidence, and just why was she still on the floor again?!

Rolling on the ground in a way that Rhyme knew was sure to make her look like a fallen cockroach, she hastily tried to get to her feet, so as to contend with the person before her respectively and concisely. She'd _thought_ that was how she'd left their previous encounter indefinitely, but apparently Joshua had followed her to WildKat as to get the last word. Just what had she done to deserve this again?

Wait. What was this? Was Joshua offering Rhyme his hand, so as to help her up? Blinking at him confusedly for a moment, the blond girl considered the possibility that maybe she'd pegged him wrong? Shrugging her shoulders helplessly, she took Joshua up on his offer, and soon found herself flush against the ashen haired boy's chest with the momentum.

Blushing despite herself, Rhyme made sure to hastily pull away from Joshua, and remind herself why she could never interact with him again. It wasn't fair… wasn't fair that she'd fallen in love with a him that wasn't even him, and was now sad he couldn't be more like that person. How could she ever dream of facing him with thoughts like that in her head?

When Rhyme wasn't looking at every which way _but_ in Joshua's direction (and desperately avoiding Mr. Hanekoma's stare, too), she noticed that Joshua had a particular look in his eyes. It was like- it was like the person she'd met at the witch conference! He looked light, open, but there was vulnerability there, too. What was thi-

Reaching towards Joshua without even really thinking it over, Rhyme was about to ask if maybe he was more like the boy Ai had created than he let on, but in a moment, Joshua's mask was back on, and anything Rhyme thought she might have seen was gone. Still… she couldn't help but feel she and Joshua looked the same way when they blinked. It was like the fans that was their eyelashes, were quick to try and block out the sadness they never wanted anyone else to see. _Joshua_…

"Oh, sorry. I guess if I'm going to be talking about your witchy-poo self, I should call you 'Celicy', huh? Cecily: the Chivalrous Hero Who Saved Little Joshy from Enchantment, isn't that about right?" Joshua was smirking at her condescendingly again, Rhyme noticed, but even something such as that was in the back of the witch's mind, as the forefront was dealing with his betrayal.

He'd known, then, all along that all the girls at the conference had been witches? Did that mean he'd known about Ai's transgression, then, and if so… why would he risk being turned into someone else just to prove something? Just what was going on here? Was he a spy, or-

Her breath hitching in her throat, as she suddenly felt that she were about to choke, Rhyme assured herself that she could never trust Yoshiya Kiryu again. And why… why was it that that idea seemed completely familiar somehow?

"Hey now, boss. You might pay for some of WildKat's fees, but I won't have you frightening away one of my best customers, if you catch my drift. Now, stop acting superior in front of the little lady, and drink your damn coffee."

Smiling at Sanae's intervention appreciatively, as he patted her back and served to remind her that she needed to fill her lungs with oxygen to breathe, Rhyme found that even with how thankful she was to Sanae Hanekoma for his help, she was now looking him over with sharper eyes, too.

Just why was Joshua with the Producer of Shibuya? How were they connected, and what was Joshua's role in everything? Rhyme was insanely curious now, and as she stood up and paced along WildKat's interior (when Mr. H would finally realize blood orange might have done well in coffee, but not so as a color pallet, Rhyme would never know), the girl found her thoughts and eyes returning to Joshua.

Seeming to read her mind, the boy laughed with a sort of dark humor embedded in his tone, and muttered, "You seem distracted," whilst going as far as to motion for Rhyme to sit down beside him again.

And…. when Rhyme did up and join him, she would have been lying if she didn't say his hair looked beautiful in the way it spilled over his shoulders, as he stirred his steaming cup of coffee with his straw. Sighing dramatically, Rhyme resigned to stop fighting with her heart, and realize that despite everything that had happened (or still could happen), she still seemed to be smitten with her could've-been-soul mate.

Oh, how Rhyme hated hormones at times. Like now, when she noted how the red and white straw Joshua was now chewing on looked much like a candy cane. Maybe… maybe she should have gone to Ten-Four or something after all, huh? Because now she was thinking of all the food dishes they could have inevitably made together, and-

"I wouldn't say distracted. More confused. What are you doing here, Joshua? The spell was lifted. You should have gone back to where you came from. And… and you shouldn't know about magic at all," Rhyme got out eloquently and easily enough, as she internally chastised herself for nearly getting caught ogling the mysterious Yoshiya Kiryu.

In fact, as irritation upon irritation began stacking up on her shoulders, Rhyme debated on sending a particularly livid look at Hanekoma, as the jury was still out on if Joshua had learned that Rhyme was a witch from him or not, but…

Rhyme had always prided herself on her instincts—and despite the tad bit of resentment she felt towards Mr. H, for having just said things about her carelessly—she had the feeling… The feeling that Joshua probably had known by himself, anyway. Furthermore, it was starting to seem like he wanted something from her, and that Joshua had Mr. H in his pocket, and not the other way around. Rhyme's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well, since I think you have the right to know, Rhyme, and I know J here won't say anything, I suppose the job falls to me, then." It was particularly difficult for Rhyme to not laugh at how the Producer of Shibuya had just smeared coffee all over his face, from where he'd gotten coffee on his fingers somehow. It was made even funnier by how serious his face looked, whilst he cupped it in his hand.

Even more odd than that, though: Joshua wasn't reacting to the show in front of him at all. Muffling her chuckles, as Rhyme didn't want the kid to chew her out for laughing at his friend or something, the witch decided it would probably best if she just rested her chin on her arms, and listened to what Mr. H had to say. "How do I explain this, Skulls Jr.? You know how I'm special like you are? Well… Joshua's also a special case. More special than you, if I'm being honest, kid. And not in the way that you are."

Not… not in the way she was, huh? Well, that pretty much confirmed Rhyme's earlier suspicions, didn't it? Joshua _wasn't_ a warlock, wizard, or sorcerer, then. But that then left the question of just what he truly was.

Sanae, Rhyme knew, was an Angel, but surely Joshua couldn't be one, too. The UG only had one Producer, after all. And furthermore, though they'd kept Rhyme's powerful mom in the dark on the Sanae issue… There was no way she would have missed sensing two Angles. That really only left one option, didn't it? After all: Joshua didn't seem at all like an Angel to Rhyme at all.

"Because I'm slightly less than an Angel, I'm afraid," Joshua laughed, as he flicked a strand of ashen hair out of his eyes, and formed his fingers into an arch. Frowning slightly at the boy's nonchalant behavior, Rhyme couldn't fathom how he could play off his true desires so well. Once again, Rhyme was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, that this person wanted something from her, and yet-

And yet he hid it so very well. Rhyme wondered what that said about his character exactly. As she slumped in her seat, stirring the tea Mr. H had kindly gotten her, she found herself feeling completely frigid. If Joshua wanted something from her… did that mean that Sanae was in on it, too? And if so… had he been misleading her all along? Rhyme didn't want to dare believe such a thing about her friend, but…

But on the complete other side of things, as steam came spilling up from Rhyme's cup, and the scent of beverages wafted in the air around her, it almost seemed to put her in a dreamlike state, and… and Rhyme thought she could sense who Joshua really was perfectly.

There was something missing! Something on the tip of Rhyme's tongue, or a memory just out of her reach, but there was no denying that everything happening around her was now taking on a sharper quality. Just what did it mean? What did it?

As all of this =sunk in for her, Rhyme found herself fearing just what she might have gotten herself into. Seriously. How had bonding over the "other" Joshua with foosball and cooking led to this?

Alternating between looking at her decreasing tea and the harsh rain outside, Rhyme thought about chancing a look at Joshua to see if he'd betray anything, but somehow… she really doubted it. He'd seemed to read her mind earlier, and if that were the case, he sure wouldn't chance telling her things when she was beginning to figure it all out, would he?

But then again… wasn't that why he was with her at the moment? To tell her of his Composer-ness and give her an ultimatum?

Deciding then and there that she wasn't going to play any game (literally or figuratively, as this was the Composer she was dealing with, after all), Rhyme turned towards the less-than-Angel, and laid all her cards out for him to see. She could only hope he would do the same. "You're the Composer, aren't you? I probably should have sensed you, I guess, but since you were always in the UG, that must be why we've never come across each other until now. That's why I couldn't perceive you."

"You _are_ a perceptive one, Raimu!" Joshua remarked all sing-songy as he stood up, and faked a bow for her cleverness or something or the other. Rolling her eyes at the spectacle going on in front of her, the blond girl wondered if Joshua would ever stop using sarcasm with every word he knew, and get to the point.

Looking at Mr. H for help, Rhyme mentally begged him to put his subordinate in his place, but as the coffee barista just laughed slightly, and shook his head helplessly, Rhyme knew he'd be of absolute no help to her. Welp, so much for getting out of WildKat until midnight, she guessed.

"I see we still have _oh_ so much in common!" Joshua said with an evil smirk on his face, as he sat back on the barstool beside Rhyme, and looked at her with cold eyes. "You are correct, my dear. Everything I did up to now has been an act. Surely you must have picked up on that early into our conversation? You see, I was never really under a spell from precious Ai. Rather, I Imprinted on the girl so she'd think she had power over me. A gross miscalculation on her part, I assure you. Even if she did have no say in the matter. Hehehe."

"J, will you sto-"

"It's fine," Rhyme interrupted Mr. Hanekoma curtly. Thankfully, though, since the two had been friends for years, he was able to give Rhyme a small smile, and the Bito girl recognized it exactly for what it was. He was acknowledging he knew she wasn't upset with him, but rather needed to process things and figure out what to do about Joshua.

Still, if she could fool that prick Joshua into thinking it was Mr. H who had hurt her, she would gladly take it. She didn't want to give the Composer the satisfaction of knowing he'd been the one to ruffle her feathers. As she dug her fingernails sharply into her hand, Rhyme made certain that her link to her powers and broom were at their strongest. Then…

Then she finally faced Joshua, like she'd been wanting to more and more as the night dragged on. And though, of course, neither of the teens' eyes was red, there was no denying the fire they both held in their locked gaze. Snarling, Rhyme demanded, "What do you want with me, Joshua? Just stop monologuing and tell me you were testing me or whatever."

"Hmm? What's that?" Far more shocked than she was livid at this point, Rhyme watched in awe as the intensity disappeared from Joshua's expression altogether. Feigning uncertainty now, he seemed to be subtly glancing at and playing with his phone of all things. Drumming her fingers on the counter, irritated, Rhyme counted the seconds it took for Joshua to finally adopt a less concerned face (surely he must have thought he'd let too much slip through the cracks before, and was now pretending not to care).

He didn't disappoint. When he finally put a hand to his face and smiled at her deadly, Rhyme wagered no more than five seconds could have passed. What on Earth could have happened to this boy to make him act this way, Rhyme wondered. To make him so immune to letting people in?

As Rhyme looked over at Joshua, curiously, she found herself beginning to feel something for him that she hadn't since she'd "set him free" Pity. But even with that, Rhyme still found herself considering chucking some of the House Blend ingredients at the boy, so as to wipe the smile right off his face.

"Yes, Raimu, I admit that I was testing you. I have a business proposition for you, you see. I want you to join my UG as a Reaper. If you do, you'll be greatly rewarded. Not just in your natural abilities being heightened, but also with the new dreams you'll find. I understand that since a few days ago, you haven't been able to dream properly at all."

Poison. That was exactly what Joshua, his smile, and proposition all were. Poison. How could he- How dare he comment on her dreams in such a manner?! It had been he that ruined them through his stupid ruse! Rhyme had loved him, and now he meant to throw that back at her face? The nerve!

As Rhyme sat there crossing her arms so tightly that she was actually hurting herself, she wasn't even aware of the powers she was unconsciously tapping into. Joshua, for that matter, also seemed oblivious to it, as he continued his proposition by saying, "And if you refuse… well, nothing will happen to you, I promise you. But you'll undoubtedly live a very boring life, like the one I did before joining the Underground."

"Seriously, Joshua. What is your problem?" Mr. H snarled at the Composer before him, as he grabbed onto some coffee grains and dangled them over Joshua's head threateningly. Smiling for her friend wanting to defend her, Rhyme's first action was to commend Sanae Hanekoma.

That sentiment quickly turned to horror, however, when she noted the confused and hopeless look in his eyes. Oh, god- She was the one who'd thought of spilling something on Joshua, so did that mean- had she somehow just Imprinted on an Angel without even being in the UG? How was that even possible?! It shouldn't have been, surely, and so- was that… was that why Joshua wanted her? Rhyme didn't dare ask, nor did she dare look at him, for surely he'd be smirking at how he'd so successfully pulled her strings, without her even knowing it.

Suddenly, Rhyme felt like she wanted to cry. But knowing that wouldn't help anything and that she didn't deserve to, she banished the thought away with her powers. Then, she focused on Mr. Hanekoma.

"It's okay, Mr. H," Rhyme assured the coffee barista, as she took the coffee ingredients out of his hands and laid them somewhere safe for everyone involved. Then, for good measure, Rhyme patted her friend on the hand, and gave him a reassuring smile. In fact, she even went as far as to tell him she'd **never** Imprint on him again.

"It's okay, Mr. H. It's okay, and- Wait. What just happened?! Joshua, Sanae's gone!" Not even noticing that she was somehow now on her feet beside Joshua, and was even clutching her torturer's arm for whatever reason, Rhyme saw with surprise and terror that she now standing in a completely desolate and lifeless place. Just what was going on?! What?! Where was WildKat? Where was Sanae?!

Biting her lip apprehensively, it took Rhyme a moment to realize what had happened and just what all it might mean. She was in the UG, wasn't she? And more than that, Rhyme assumed she'd somehow ended up in one of the parallel worlds that she'd been often told about And Mr. H… Mr. H couldn't interfere in the UG when there wasn't a Game going on. Yeah! That had to be it! Surely that was the only reason that someone such as Mr. H wouldn't be able to exist in this place?

And- and as Rhyme finally succeeded in tearing up, where she'd stopped herself before, she knew that she was fooling no one. Least of all herself. Where was she? Were all her loved ones now dead? Just how could such a thing even happen, and so fast?

"Sorry if I took away your cute and cuddly buddy, Raimu. Rest assured that he and your world is fine. I just needed to take you somewhere where we could talk with no one interfering. This is a parallel universe, you see." Huh. Even though Joshua had raised his hand palm forward, and actually seemed to be trying to get on with her nicely, Rhyme couldn't help but feel there was a sadness and tragedy belying his words.

It was for that reason that even though her teeth were chattering, and she was honestly scared as hell, that she responded to him much calmer than she had all night. "Just tell me what you want with me, and I'll try to help." And she meant it, too, Rhyme was surprised to find. No matter what Joshua wanted or what it took, she would help him like he needed her to, and in another way, too.

And yet, even then as Rhyme felt a certain feeling blooming within her heart, she had to remind herself this wasn't the person she'd fallen in love with, and that it never would. Oh what a tangled web people weaved, indeed.

And honestly… even though Rhyme was irritated to death at Joshua, she had to admit he hadn't _really_ done anything to warrant such a reaction from her. Maybe it was the gray area they were in, making her emotions all unstable and causing her to feel oddly sad and empathetic. Maybe just growing up with a constantly bickering household had taught Rhyme to be patient, but… though Rhyme didn't much favor feeling powerless like she currently was, she thought she should at least hear Joshua out and finally see what everything was all about.

And even though they'd been bantering before, Rhyme had hoped she wasn't being too hard on Josh. It went against her nature to be mean, and-

Good god. Why had a flicker of sadness just appeared on the Composer's face just now? And why did she feel so very bad about it? Rhyme knew that she didn't owe the man before her anything, and yet just one look from him hurt her more than anything else ever had. What. Was. Going. On?!

Once again, Rhyme couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something entirely. Hopefully she could end that feeling now, if she was able. Reaching out to the elusive boy's shoulder, and meaning to speak gently, Rhyme whispered, "Joshua-"

"Shh, dear. You needn't fret yourself to death. Now come along, and let's get this over with. I'm tired, Rhyme. So very tired." What was this? Complete honesty on Joshua's face? Vulnerability? Good grief, she _was_ missing things, wasn't she? Though Rhyme had really only just met the real him, she could tell that Joshua was normally stubborn to a fault. So what was this side of Shibuya's Composer? Why was he acting like the weight of the world had finally gotten to him.

"This way, Rhyme."

"Go where, Joshua? Wait! What way?!" Stumbling over herself and the nothingness around her, Rhyme groped around for any sign of Joshua or a sign of anything! She was getting colder and colder, and for whatever reason, that scared her more than anything else had that night.

_I'm being ridiculous_, Rhyme thought to herself, hugging her arms around her upper torso for warmth. _It was cold back in the other Shibuya, so it makes sense it would be in this one, as well. I haven't died or anything, even if I am in the UG. I'm not lost. Now calm down, Rhyme. Calm down. Look, there. Isn't that WildKat covered in fog? See? Everything's fine. You're being ridiculous, Rhyme. Ridiculous. Now relax and go find Josh. _

The moment Rhyme was in front of what she thought was WildKat, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. And fortunately, the girl had happened upon the place sooner than she'd thought she would. She wondered if- wondered if Joshua had heard her distress, and had somehow led her to the place? He was technically Shibuya, after all. So maybe he had?

And just like that, Rhyme felt completely embarrassed by her thoughts, and hoped that Joshua wasn't reading her mind. At. All. _Jeez, Rhyme. Get over your feelings for him. It wasn't real._

Continuing forward to what Rhyme _thought _was the silhouette of someone, she about jumped twenty feet into the air, when she suddenly felt a certain someone's hand brushing against hers. And what was this? Why was he as cold as ice? Sure Joshua was technically dead, but… with the sudden fear that Joshua might be Erased at any moment clawing at her heart, Rhyme didn't let go of Josh's hand like she otherwise might have. Instead, she held onto it and tried to get rid of the coldness of it.

Talking like a mother would to a sick child now, Rhyme whispered again, "What did you want me for, Joshua?" The last thing she wanted was to have him die without revealing his gambit to her. If that were to happen, Rhyme knew she would never ever forgive herself, because…

Though she'd never admit it to this infuriating boy currently walking beside her, the truth was she really had been in love with the Joshua she'd met on vacation. And now, in some completely irrational and impossible way, she felt those feelings coming back to her. And who knew? Maybe she could love this Josh, after all. Maybe they could both find a happiness and light in each other, but they'd never know if Joshua were Erased, would they? That was why- that was Rhyme just knew she had to watch over him now. For his sake, as well as her own.

As it happened, Joshua's answer to Rhyme's question seemed to be to just to squeeze her hand even tighter. Clenching her teeth in worry and suspicion, the girl knew that _that_ didn't bode well at all. Gah! Why couldn't she remember what she was beginning to think she needed to desperately? Why?! Could it be that he really _was_ starting to die now?! Could it?!

As Joshua smiled at Rhyme sweetly—sweetly! When had Josh acted sweet the entire night?!—Rhyme swallowed, and found that his smile made her more uncertain about his situation than ever. He didn't even have the strength to be snide anymore, did he?

"I just want you to be free, Rhyme. I realize that now. I've wasted so much time, and-" Licking his lips as he suddenly began choking, and his throat sounded dry of any fluid in at all, Rhyme's eyes widened in alarm, as she aimed to help the all-power-Composer who was slumping in her hold moreso every moment. "Show me all of your powers. Fly on your broom the way you did on vacation. Be free like you were before time, before _I_,warped everything."

"What? Joshua! That can't be what you really wanted. It doesn't fit at all! Tell me what you wa-"

"Rhyme," Joshua said calmly and slowly, as Rhyme's grip slackened on him and he fell to the ground, but also made sure to hold onto the face of the girl currently going into hysterics above him. Though Rhyme at first wanted to fight (because she needed to know the truth before it was too late! She needed to help him!), she soon found herself melting into his touch, and falling for his hypnotic words.

This was… this was just the way she envisioned his touch might have felt like back on vacation. But why… Why did his touch seem so familiar and right? Why did this Joshua she didn't really know at all—that she didn't even trust!—seem to know her better than anyone else and vice versa?

With a sudden torrent of tears streaming down her face, to land on Joshua's fading form, the youngest Bito hastily summoned her broom to her hand, and decided then and there that if she could do nothing else, she would heed to Joshua's final request.

And even if she hadn't already agreed to it, what Joshua said next would have been more than enough to drive Rhyme into doing what Joshua had wanted of her for some time now. "Rhyme what I wanted before doesn't matter. It was all so dumb and stupid. I see that now. It was a hopeless desire, when what I should have always wanted is what I just asked for. I want to see you happy again, dear. Be happy for me. Please."

And at those bizarre, yet truly moving words, there was no other response in the world for Rhyme than to comply, was there? Maneuvering the broom in her hands, the girl twirled the instrument into three circles, before extending her arm backwards and jumping back onto the device, that she'd let fall so it could hover in the air. It may have been an unorthodox way of boarding the thing, but it was Rhyme's way.

And suddenly, as she flew into the night sky and it owned it the way a bird might have, Rhyme was finally hit with the tidal wave of emotions and memories that had been stirring in her mind all along. Though she was still perfectly conscious of where she was (trying to do something to ease Joshua's passing just a little bit), she also felt as though she were somewhere else entirely.

Looking to the looming sky above her with a great curiosity, Raimu wondered what Joshua might have looked like flying with his Composer wings against the night sky, if things were different. And at that, Rhyme finally allowed herself to do something she hadn't since she'd first stepped onto her broom. She looked at the person who had told her to board it to begin with. And then… Then Rhyme could see everything perfectly, as if there had never been anything blocking her Sight at all.

_"Stay back!" Memory Rhyme spluttered fearfully as she latched onto the closest thing she could find, a broom, and began backing away from the Reapers aiming to cage her in front of the AMX entrance._

_And though Rhyme knew it was fruitless, she found her fingers gliding over the Pins she'd used in the Game for survival. It was silly, of course, because she was no longer in the Game, and she knew well that the Pins wouldn't work, but as she was about to be murdered in Shibuya—his city—she had to imagine that Joshua would hear her distressed Music, and up her vibe to help her through this ordeal._

_Even if the idea was pointless, Rhyme still had to hold onto hope. It was who she'd always been, and it was the only thing she had left to guide her. Joshua surely wouldn't let her die, could he? He… he loved her._

_And even if the Composer weren't as powerful anymore, even if… even if Joshua was busy protecting himself at the moment, and couldn't find the time to look after her, Rhyme had to believe that their Pact would be enough to see them through anything. That wish was more than enough to make up for the dreams she'd once lost, and in the final moment Rhyme was currently finding herself in, she held onto that one final hope._

_In the end, Joshua's assistance occurred much the way Rhyme imagined it would; he'd heard her, and was now helping her by linking her back to her Psychs, but… But even as Rhyme was calling on powers she was very familiar with—powers she had used to fight for her life during the Game—the energy surging through her felt unfamiliar somehow. Alien. Such a sentiment shouldn't have been right at all, but- _

_Shaking her head at the thought of it all, Rhyme opted to focus her __Pyrokinesis__ Pin onto the broom she'd just procured, and to use that instrument as a weapon. And even as she held onto the fire in her hands, Rhyme felt not pain. Nor did the fire dirty her form in any way. In fact, her eyes seemed to be stinging more for the fog and dry ice around the steps she was on, rather than for the actual flames she was holding. _

_But even with all of that, Rhyme had to ponder as she began hitting any Reaper she could with her weapon, that she'd never had this much power in the Game, so what did that mea-… _

_Scoffing at where her thoughts had taken her, Rhyme assured herself that her thoughts were meaningless, and that if she had to, she would sort it all out after the battle. After all, who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth, anyway? _

_Letting out a battle cry that was almost out of character for her, Rhyme darted down the stairs of AMX, and took out as many Reapers as she could (some of the numbers surprising even her, as she didn't know her arm could reach so far to get some of them). _

_Yes, Rhyme was becoming better at fighting than she would have ever thought possible; it seemed that even when she overshot or missed with her broom, her Soul would pick up the slack, and make the fires poke up and singe anyone in the general area. _

_Vaguely, as she closed her eyes against the soot that was just now starting to get to her, Rhyme had to wonder if Joshua was helping her with all of this, too._

"_Rhyme. I'm sorry."_

"_Joshua!" Though the voice that Rhyme was now hearing in her head was weak and distorted, there was no denying whom it belonged to. She'd only been in love with him for many years, after all. And with a sharp intake of breath, Rhyme was able to see just how she'd survived all she had. She hadn't protected herself at all, had she? Rather, Joshua had tapped into her Soul, and was undoubtedly aiding her at his own expense. He'd done all of this… and now he was dying because of it. _

_As tears raced down Rhyme's eyes, seeming to want to see if Joshua would die before or after they were completely spilled, she found herself looking at the broom she had in her hand, and hatching a plan. _

_How had she not noticed before? The thing was a child's toy Joshua had once given her, in deciding it was tragic how Rhyme had never really gotten to be a kid. He'd stored the broom for her down in the Shibuya River, and Rhyme had to guess it wasn't an accident that the thing had returned to her now of all times. _

_Maybe it could be her Psych like Mr. Mew was for Shiki?! It was a special, and treasured gift of hers, after all. If she could just draw on that power…_

_Trying to find the mental connection that she and Joshua had earlier developed with each other, Rhyme desperately sought out her Composer. She could only hope that if he did end up being Erased, he would ascend or something, and still be able to help he out… and still be able to be there for and love her. _

"_Joshua, where are you?" Rhyme asked aloud, as she used her small form to dodge some of the bigger Reapers, and finally found refuge behind an overturned car. Good, god. The fact that one of these yahoos might soon become Shibuya's new Composer was a worrying thought, indeed. Look at what they had done! She needed to find Joshua and fast! Somehow and someway, Rhyme promised herself she would. _

" _Shibuya's becoming a wasteland slowly but surely. Well, maybe not yet, but I know if this keeps up, there will be no going back. Maybe that's a good thing, so we don't end up in the hands of these tyrants, as we'll all just Ascend, but I'll still be damned if I let you die, Joshua."_

_After awhile, Rhyme didn't know how long she had wandered, looking for any sign of life or Josh. It could have been moments, but it could have just as easily been years. All she knew was that she eventually found herself in front of AMX again, where she slumped down, and wondered if… wondered if he- _

_Oh, god. Why was she crying again? Anyway, if Joshua was already gone, Rhyme knew she wouldn't be too far behind. She had nothing more to live for, anyway. Beat, Neku, Shiki, Eri… They were all already gone, and had been for some time._

_They were all gone. _

_How Rhyme was the last of them to survive, she truly didn't know. And oh how she regretted that. It didn't make any sense. And now Joshua… Now Joshua was most likely gone, because he'd chosen to help his useless girlfriend instead of himself. Because she'd ironically ended up being just like the little girl she'd been given the broom for, and, and and-_

"_You're still just as naïve I see, dear. Don't trouble yourself over thoughts of me, I don't deserve it. And this… this is my fault. Rhyme. In truth, I met you in another dimension before my game with Megumi. You possessed such raw power there, that I wanted you by my side here in one way or another. In fact, I was so selfish, that I might have even sought to combine the two versions of you, so as to make you more of an asset to me. I wanted you, Rhyme, but not in the way you wanted me, I'm afraid. _

"_And even so… despite everything and all my misgivings, I really did fall for you. _That's _partly why I brought you back when you were Erased in the Game here. And it was my mistakes—my opening a door that shouldn't have been opened, and again overreaching my boundaries—that led to all of this. You have no reason to regret my fate, Rhyme, so please don't. I'm an awful person, yes, but I truly did love you. Any version of you. And I'm sorry for not being able to properly see that until now. Now… if I can just see the you I originally meant one more time, I can happily rest in peace."_

_And though Rhyme surmised she might have had time to save the Joshua of her current world—the world where it looked like he was a burning sun, against the backdrop of a growing blackhole–she couldn't really even see the point of it anymore. In fact, she couldn't even move, either via Joshua's presence pressing her down, or her out of control emotions, but mostly…_

_Rhyme knew he would be gone long before she could even dream of doing anything. That was how it had always been between them and how it was even now, but even so… she had to wonder if maybe there was something she might could to, after all. If Joshua had died in trying to save her, did that mean- could it be that… Was she the new Composer?_

_Looking within herself for the answer, Rhyme closed her eyes against all the chaos unfolding around her, and focused. What she found there was a raw power. Perhaps a power she'd had all along. At the moment Shibuya was all but doomed, but was it possible there a way she could save it and everyone? Joshua had said that she had a strong power, and there was a version of her in another dimension that was a witch?_

_Maybe… Maybe with her new potential, she could find the sort of power Joshua had been looking for all along, and use it to restore everything. Maybe she could join with that other her (like Josh had thought about doing), get stronger, and come back to Shibuya as a fully realized Composer and save it._

_Not knowing what else to do (and not willing to let go of her final hope), Rhyme triggered the inter-dimensional leap and waited for when that other her that she was connecting with would understand._

"Joshua, I-" As Rhyme (the witch version) was pulled out of her reverie, she suddenly felt very shaky and weary. She felt as though she'd just seen something out of a science fiction movie, and yet- she somehow found herself believing all of it. It just felt too right. All of it did, as well as the odd feelings from earlier that she'd been able to understand until now.

Since she was currently getting two lifetimes of memories thrown at her, Rhyme was sure she was about to collapse on herself, but she didn't. And it was the thought of Shibuya, her friends, but most of all—the annoying Composer who that loved—that made such a thing possible. In fact, in this world, her Joshua had yet to die yet, so flying towards him immediately, and trying to harness her newfound power, Rhyme set to make sure such a thing would never happen here. She needed Joshua so very much.

Despite everything Rhyme thought she knew, believed, and imagined was good for her, she now knew there was no denying that she also needed Joshua to be able to function. She- she would save Shibuya and him just like both versions of her, that were now one version, had originally planned. And maybe… maybe even just like what Joshua had planned with his foresight.

Spiraling closer to the ground now, and not even waiting until her broom was a safe distance to it, Rhyme jumped off the thing, and raced to the person she knew would always hold her heart. All too soon she was touching his face all over, much the way he had hers earlier. It didn't take a genius to realize why.

Rhyme couldn't imagine a life where she didn't have or love Joshua. Like he'd been saying about her earlier, all she desired for him now was to be happy, to live, and thrive. And she was going to make sure he would receive all of that. He'd died to save her in another life, now it was her turn to do the same for him.

Working her powers in a way she never had before, but that oddly felt completely right via the paradox she'd created, Rhyme worked on Shibuya and Joshua until she was nearly spent. Tiredly, Rhyme couldn't help thinking that the energy she was expending looked much like the shining sun that Joshua's own powers had resembled. It was ironic, even. But when had her life ever not been that way?

Looking back on it now, Rhyme could easily see how all her lives had just been one weird, crazy ride repeating cycle over and over again.

She wouldn't have changed it for the world.

It had been for those crazy lives, and Joshua's original attempt to make her into an angel of destruction, that had allowed Rhyme to become an angel of salvation instead, and be able to do all that she was now.

Pressing her lips to Joshua's dead, cold ones, Rhyme prayed for a miracle, and felt more in the raw power of the kiss, than she had in anything before. She _was_ now made up of two lifetimes, she supposed, so that could have accounted for all the emotions she was now experiencing, but… somehow Rhyme thought it was much more than that.

As Joshua's lips began ghosting over hers just the slightest bit, Rhyme found herself seeing what Joshua had always acknowledged in her. She saw her possibilities, strength, beauty, and dreams, but would she ever again without him there to remind her?

"Come on, Josh," Rhyme lamented, as she clutched onto the fallen boy, and brushed her forehead against his, as a single tear fell from her eyes. "I used my witch powers, my new Composer ones, and maybe even some of our bond just now. That should be more than enough to waken you. I know you were the former Composer, so reviving you might be different, or near impossible, but- Please, Josh. I'm trying to restore Shibuya, like you did after Neku's Game. Please be there to see that that through with me, because… after that Game, and after Neku changed you for the better, you became someone I could truly love. And I do love you, Joshua. So much. So _please_. Come back to me."

Using a white variation of Joshua's own Holy Beams unconsciously, Rhyme felt the very Earth begin to stir beneath her. The lights, that were coming up to meet the sky all around the pair, seemed to be cleansing and healing the decimated Shibuyas little by little. As it passed over certain areas, Rhyme had the pleasure of seeing people, who had died in the Reapers' dethroning of Joshua, coming to.

Never before had Rhyme felt so fulfilled. This was so much more than she'd ever imagined. She'd always wanted to help people, and now she was doing so much more than that, and- and she had her Joshua to thank for it. Rhyme had never thought such a gift could come from the often cold and aloof boy, but it had. How she longed to thank him, and apologize for doubting him. _Joshua_…

Praying, hoping, and wishing that her true wish might still come true, but was being saved for last, Rhyme again turned her attention to the boy she was still cradling gently in her arms. It was only then that she noted a smile on her lover's face. A real smile. Remembering how she'd earlier felt similar things and vulnerabilities coming from Joshua in the café, before she'd known anything of what was going on, Rhyme thought she might have finally come to understand her one true love. Now, she thought she understood everything.

And it was with that and for that reason, that Rhyme wasn't surprised when Joshua's eyes finally flickered open, and looking at her like a man seeing the light for the first time, placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

No, Rhyme wasn't surprised about it, but she was completely happy and ecstatic. And she knew… she knew that as long as she was with the boy before her, she always feel such emotions. _Josh_…

After her depression at the things she'd thought she'd lost, like her dreams, Rhyme had found a better wish, and the person most deserving to be loved and of her love.

Running a hand on the broom that Joshua had given her in the beginning of their love story, the thing that had oddly led to them all being saved in a roundabout way, Rhyme promptly decided she wanted to play in a way that wasn't at all childish. And though Josh had given her the broom in thinking she didn't relax enough, Rhyme didn't think he'd object in the slightest.

And so, throwing her broom so it clattered to the ground beside them, Rhyme chose to play a form of house, and pulled Joshua on top of her, so they might make love until the wee hours of dawn. In the end, the two had more than found a happiness and light in each other. They'd found life itself, and a new chance at one.

**Author's Note: So, this story is pretty trippy, and pretty much a dream within a dream within a dream. So sorry about that (but in my defense, I actually wrote this thing a LONG time ago, and didn't post it because I thought it was too weird, but in remembering I do sort of like it, thought I might as well edit it and post it, after all). **

**So not only is this dealing with The Vacations from Hell story and a parallel TWEWY world, but also the "canon" one we all know and love. **

**It's okay if you guys don't get all of this stuff. You don't really need to. But like I said above, our Joshua from canon met witch!Rhyme here, before meeting the one in his universe. Upon noticing her aptitude for magic, he wants to use her for his own ends (and he might even see how he'll need her help in Shibuya's upcoming destruction via his foresight), and thus he brings her back to life in his world, befriends her, actually falls in love with her there, etc. **

**So, technically, the Joshua witch!Rhyme met in this wasn't the one from her universe at all, but the one from the canon TWEWY one, who was testing her at the witch summit, and then meant to bargain with her at WildKat. Still with me so far? If not, it's okay. LOL.**

**So, you'll notice that after Joshua and Rhyme go outside, Joshua begins acting weird. That's because he's just come from the decimated Shibuya in the other universe's future (where the Reapers have opted to overthrow him). This all literally happens in a matter of moments in the witch!Rhyme's world, but years in the other one (time works differently in different worlds, so it works). **

**Now, the entire time witch!Rhyme is feeling something for Joshua, which is partly because now-Composer-Rhyme from the other universe is trying to connect with her, and eventually does. In the end, Rhyme is of two minds (LOL), and Joshua might even be, too, actually. (Hell if I know at this point.) If it remains that way for them, I'm not sure, as I'm not continuing this (and don't even remember everywhere I was going with it, or what inspired it originally), but yeah. Happy ending for everyone in this weird, weird story that I oddly like. Woot!**

**Anywho, the real reason I'm posting this story is because I'm still having writer's block, and decided to try editing one of my old stories to post something new/maybe find some more inspiration. And in the end, I am pretty pleased with this. I mean, this isn't my favorite story. It's weird as hell, the writing's not the best, since I wrote it more than a year ago, but it was still fun to do and I put a lot of work into it, so… Anyway, I'm not really looking for feedback on this story, so it works. I know it's not that great.**

**And for some reason… this story REALLY reminds me of Madoka Magica, which is odd, since I wrote this long before I ever even knew that anime existed.**

**More fun facts about Vacations from Hell: one of the stories actually mentions KH in it (the Cassandra Clare one), and another one would be PERFECT for someone to base a Joshyme fanart off of (oddly, it's not the one I wrote about here). If anyone has anymore questions about VFH (a pretty fun book, in my opinion), or has a hankering to draw that Joshyme pic I envisioned, feel free to message me. I'm sure not going to complain;)**

**Shutting up now.**

**-Shanna**

**And man this has this story been a weird and fun ride… Also, how did this story get so lengthy?! It was NOT twenty pages before I began editing it. It was like ten, so how did it literally double in length? WTH? Why am I so verbose?! Why?!**


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